Beholding the Truth
by ShandyCandy278
Summary: He can't stand it. "Whenever dad sees me, all he sees is mom. Until he can see his son and not my dead mother, I refuse to stay here." "Plagg, Claws Out!" MARICHAT REVEAL (WRITTEN BEFORE SEASON 2!)
1. Chapter 1

Adrien had had enough.

He loved his father, don't get him wrong, but he was reaching the end of his rope. Of course, this meant that he couldn't go to school without getting caught, but life at home had gotten so bad that he couldn't stand it anymore.

"Kid, you sure about this?" Plagg asked, a price of Camembert in his tiny paws as he watched his charge pack.

"Whenever dad sees me, all he can see is mom." Adrien replied simply, as he had to the other several times, along with the following. "Until he can see his own son and not my dead mother, I refuse to stay here."

"Alright." Plagg said as he bit into his cheese. Adrien double checked everything he had in his school bag. Cheese Sticks for Plagg, check. Blanket, check. Small pillow, check. Toothbrush and toothpaste, check. Food that will last him a few days along with water, check. Shoes, check. Scarf, check. Phone...

Adrien paused, looking at the said contraption. He probably shouldn't, his father could track him down that way. He threw it further onto his bed, continuing his checklist. When he finished, he double and triple checked it before nodding. He had even prepared for the winter should he manage to be gone for that long.

He wasn't planning on being gone for a full year, he hoped his father would actually come to his senses- Adrien really couldn't live with his father treating him like he was a pet instead of a person. He had a written letter for his father that he tapped to the front of his door before turning to Plagg, holding his hand out. It was time to go.

"Plagg, claws out!"

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	2. Chapter 2

Shandy: One review.

Candy: Well, last chapter was short because I couldn't find a good ending point anywhere past that... but yeah.

Shandy: We hope you enjoy the chapter!

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"The police are still searching for Adrien Agreste, who had ran away just over a week ago. He has not been spotted anywhere, and the authorities are still searching the streets. Rumors are going around that someone has actually kidnapped the young man and forced him to write the letter, but this is very unlikely." Marinette sighed as she listened to the news radio as she worked on her homework. It had been a very depressing week, and all Marinette could do was hope that he was alright. Tikki was exhausted from searching the city for him again as Ladybug. It was as though he had literally disappeared.

Cat Noir had joined her a few times while searching, and now Marinette only seemed to grow even more worried for not only Adrien, but for Cat Noir as well. Cat Noir looked as though he had been going through a rough time lately, his hair looking as though it needed to be washed badly and smelling worse than the cheese smell he always carried around. What had happened to the both of them?

The beginnings of a storm began to howl outside, quickly becoming a downpour as she tried to work on her homework. She really hoped that they were doing okay.

A sudden tapping brought her to her skylight, and she crawled up on her bed to look out only to see a soaking and shivering wet Cat Noir, giving her what looked like a forced confident smirk. Lightning flashed behind him and he jumped as Marinette forced the window open, allowing him inside.

"Stupid cat, what are you doing out in that storm?!" She asked as she dragged him to the bathroom. Cat Noir was shocked to say the least, pausing slightly before speaking.

"I... got into an argument with my father and got kicked out of the house." He said as Marinette pushed him into the bathroom, starting a hot shower.

"Alright, that should do." Marinette nodded to herself. "And I'm sorry to hear about the disagreement with your father." Cat Noir blinked a bit.

"Princess, why are you starting a shower?" He asked.

"Because I can tell that you haven't had a good wash in a while." Was Marinette's simple explanation. "Besides, we need to get you warm before you catch a cold." She nodded when she felt that the water was the right temperature and stood up to leave, pausing for a moment. "I suppose you're hungry as well, right?" Cat Noir nodded. "Very well then, I'll get some food from downstairs. I'll be waiting for you to get done." And she closed the door behind her. Cat Noir waited a moment before locking the said door. Then he sighed with slight relief.

"Plagg, claws in." And he was Adrien once more. He dropped his bag of items from off of his back and began to undress as Plagg instantly dived for some stick cheese- not Camembert, but it would have to do.

He hadn't been Cat Noir for long, just pretending to also look for his alter ego until the cops left the area he had been staying in when the storm had crawled up on him without much warning. Being outside in the thunder had scared him more than it would've if he was inside. He had been aiming on going back to where he had been staying, but he could see Marinette's room and the light coming from it only a few yards away seemed like a better option if she would let him.

As the warm water poured over him, Adrien sighed again in happiness. He was glad that she had let him in, even more so for thinking of letting him use her shower to clean himself.

He owed her so much. He was sure that she didn't even know how much he owed her, as both Cat Noir and Adrien.

"Kid, ya got lucky." Plagg said simply after eating a cheese stick. "Not everyone would do that for you."

"I know." Adrien sighed as he looked over the many washing products she had. He wasn't entirely sure whether he should or not, but he selected what looked to be the cheapest she had and took a small dot of it, using it. He definitely owed her, a lot.

When he finished he dried off quickly and put his clothes back on, transforming once more into Cat Noir before walking out of the bathroom with his bag of things. Marinette had finished taking something's off of her wall, some cookies on a plate on her desk. Cat suddenly found himself curious as to what she was trying to hide, wishing that he had payed better attention to her room.

"Thank you, princess." Cat Noir said, gaining her attention and a sweet smile along with it.

"No need to, Cat. You already save Paris from the Akuma Attacks and other things. It's the least I could do, especially since you personally went with me with Evillustrator." Cat Noir paused a moment before nodding. "Go ahead and eat the cookies, sorry that they're not fresh."

"That's alright." Cat Noir smiled. It was silent as he picked up one, trying his best not to devour the entire thing hungrily like he wanted to. Marinette also picked up a cookie, but she didn't eat it, preferring to place it somewhere behind her.

"So..." Marinette paused. "What exactly did you and your father disagree on?"

"My freedom." Cat Noir sighed. "Ever since mom died he's been really protective of me and it's ridiculous because he only sees her when he looks at me and not who I am." Cat Noir nearly growled before he contained himself. "Sorry, I shouldn't rant my problems onto you."

"Oh, no, It's fine." Marinette smiled up at him. "It's nothing compared to the way I rant to Alya, so you're fine." Cat Noir smiled slightly before it faded, looking down at the cookie. Snicker doodle.

"These were her favorite." He said softly. "I love them too, but father refuses to eat any sweets and denies me my own privileges as well. A week ago I just... snapped." Then he realized that his story was becoming too similar to his other persona, and cleared his throat. "I was out and about when I saw the Agreste boy running away as well. I had offered him to take him to where he was headed, thinking it was home. He declined, and I haven't seen him since. Might have some family problems of his own." He sighed, biting into the cookie again as Marinette nodded sadly. It was silent before she spoke, softly.

"Cat?"

"Yes purrincess?" She rolled her eyes a little.

"Are you scared of storms?" She asked.

"Looks like the cats out of the bag." He joked. "But seriously, I'm only afraid when I'm Cat Noir. The only thing storms really do is bring back bad memories." Marinette nodded in understanding, and they sat there in even more silence. After a while, Cat chuckled.

"What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?" He asked with a laugh. Marinette scowled at him.

"No." She said clearly before sighing. "No, I'm just worried about Adrian. He's one of my classmates and I think that we're also friends but I'm not completely sure."

"What do you believe happened?" Cat Noir asked, reaching for another cookie.

"Well, the note he left was never really open to the public and wasn't even shared with anyone else, but I think that he really did run away." Cat Noir nodded.

"How is everyone else handling it?" He asked.

"Everyone is worried sick and hope that the authorities find him, though Alya believes that you and Ladybug will find him first. So do most of the people in class. Chloe's being her usual self though. She claims to love him, but when he disappears all she does is freak out and hope that no one kidnaps her." Marinette sighed. "How did she and Adrien ever become friends anyway?"

"I don't know." Cat replied.

"... Why did you come here, anyway?" She asked.

"Well, with dad kicking me out I've been living on my own." Cat replied. "And with me in suit and the rain coming down fast, I needed a place to be safe and saw your light on, princess. I would've tried to go to Ladybug's house if I knew where she lived." Marinette laughed.

"Well, you're welcome here anytime, Cat." She said with such a sincere smile that Adrien was shocked to say the least.

"Really?"

"Of course!" She chirped happily. "You can't be here 24/7 though, my parents would get suspicious."

"Thanks, princess." He said softly. "How can I repay you?"

"Silly kitty." She replied with a laugh. "You don't need to repay me." Cat Noir remained silent as Marinette looked out her window to see it still raining. "You can stay the night- here, let me get some stuff together." She stood up and walked over to a corner of her room where some extra blankets for winter were, along with some pillows that looked to have been repaired by her. Cat Noir stood up to help, and together they built a pretty sick blanket fort.

"There." Marinette whipped her forehead off. "You can sleep in there whenever you sleep over. Maybe I can make it more comfortable when I have the time-"

"This is purrfect, princess. Pawsitively perfect." He leaned down and kissed her hand. "Thank you." Marinette giggled.

"Go to bed, kitty." She said, ruffling his hair, enticing what sounded like a purr. "No doubt you'll need your energy." He nodded without a complaint, laying down in the soft bundle of blankets that smelled of sweet things.

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	3. Chapter 3

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"Marinette, are you sure about this?" Tikki asked quietly the next morning, so as not to wake Cat Noir up.

"I'm sure." She replied confidently, placing the Alarm clock right where it needed to be. Her parents would be gone all day, so this wasn't a problem for her to do. "Besides, he'll want to eat something when he wakes up. I have to be at school, and this is the easiest thing to do." She smirked as she looked at her completed contraption. "Come on, Tikki. Let's go to school!" They left, and thirty minutes later the alarm went off, and as Marinette had predicted, Cat Noir slept on. The clock shook the string it was attached too, which let a marble roll down and hit the play button on a recorder, a resounding dog's bark echoing through the room.

Plagg woke up instantly, scared and launching for Adrien's inside pocket, effectively waking the blonde boy up, sitting at attention.

"Plagg?" He asked, looking down as the kwami poked it's head out.

"I heard a dog..." Plagg responded and Adrien chuckled, stretching. Then he hesitantly peeked his head out, looking at the alarm clock that had stopped ringing. It was thirty minutes after school started, so she was gone. He stood up and looked over at a note that was by the alarm clock and read it.

I hope you had a good night's sleep, Cat Noir! I'm at school now, not sure if you have it as well. I want you to know that my parents won't be here all day, so if you're hungry you can go into the kitchen and grab something. You can leave anytime you want, just make sure to use the fire escape and to lock it behind you! ~Marinette

Adrien smiled as Plagg read from over his shoulder.

"Mari's so kind." Adrien, placing the note back down.

"Do you know if she has Camembert?" Plagg asked, and Adrien rolled his eyes.

"You can't eat all of it if she does, we don't want her parents to get suspicious. It'll be a treat for you."

"I get it I get it, Let's go and see if she does or not!" Plagg exclaimed. Adrien rolled his eyes before opening the hatch, very careful as to not make any noise or be seen. He trusted Marinette, but was also aware that his bad luck could always make things worse.

Maybe he would also 'patrol' around town once more, maybe buy something for Marinette in thanks.

He'd have to wait until he was positive that no one was looking, though. He'd hate to get the press all over Marinette.

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A month had passed, and surprisingly, no Akuma attacks occurred. Hawk Moth had been strangely silent since the whole mess started, but that didn't mean they relaxed. In fact, it only put them more on edge.

Adrian was often hanging with Marinette, as Cat Noir, anyway, and he had learned not only a few things about himself, but about Marinette as well. First of which, was just how similar Ladybug is to Marinette. He wasn't trying to pry, but the more time they spent together, the more he could see it happening. However, he remained quiet. He'd find out eventually.

Second was that Marinette actually had a really bad crush on Adrien- or him. It was humorous when he found out- his bad luck had him falling by the computer, accidentally waking it up and revealing a background full of some on his best shots that Marinette had forgotten to change. At first, he had been cynical, but when he voiced his thoughts she had cut him off, ranting about how kind and loving and sweet Adrien was to her, and about how his looks were just another thing on the rather long list that she loved about him. It was sweet really, and now he knew why she stuttered and froze up so much around him as Adrien.

Third, was that Marinette was super cute. He was ashamed that he hadn't noticed the fact earlier, but was glad that he could see it- like now. Marinette was absently tapping her pencil, her face concentrated in thought as she worked out her math homework. Cat Noir sat next to her.

"That's not going to factor out no matter how long you stare at it, Purrincess. You're gonna have to use the quadratic furmula." Marinette groaned.

"But I was gone when we learned this!" She exclaimed. "Life sucks."

"Hey, it's not the end of the world." Cat said, moving closer to her, grabbing one of her many pencils ("I like to have lots of pencils at the ready, so that if one breaks while I'm designing I don't have to go and sharpen it right away").

"You see, whatever is with the x squared is labeled as 'a', the x 'b', and the one without an x 'c'." Cat Noir reminded her as he wrote down the formula. "The quadratic formula is that x equals the opposite of 'b', plus or minus the square root of 'b' squared minus four times 'a' times 'c', and then all of that is divided by two times 'a'." Marinette watched him closely, nodding slowly before getting back to work. Cat Noir smiled, happy that he could be her knight in shining leather in most aspects of her life.

"Thanks, kitty." She said happily, reaching over to him to give him a light scratch under his chin, and he purred happily. That was another development between the two. Whenever she was thankful of him doing something for her, she'd do something that he liked. Adrian wasn't sure if the same thing would happen out of costume, he wasn't planning on it anytime soon.

He trusted her, and he knew that both her and Ladybug would be furious, but he wanted to tell Marinette more than anything. There were only two things holding him back- both of them concerning him being Adrian. The first was obvious- they were still searching for Adrian, his father hadn't given up yet, but Adrian refused to return home. His father hadn't even considered doing as what he had asked for in his letter, and he wasn't budging on his opinion.

The second was also obvious- especially after he had learned that Marinette had been crushing on him this whole time. There were so many different reactions that she could have, and there was no way he could prepare for any of the ones that he thought of. So he'd just have to wait. For a while. Probably forever.

Suddenly, Cat Noir got an incoming alert from his staff, and opened it up only to see the news reporter talking to the camera.

"We have just gotten word that Gabriel Agreste, the father of missing Adrien Agreste, is now turning to Paris' top superhero duo to officially help the investigation of his son's case." Marinette looked up at him. "They are both asked to meet at his house for a private briefing in the next ten minutes."

"Wow..." She muttered. "You best get going then." Cat Noir chuckled, though a bit awkwardly.

"Yeah." He cleared his throat, kissing her hand with a smirk. "I'll be back, Princess."

"See you later, Kitty." Marinette waved, and Cat Noir left through the fire escape and into the night- towards the place he hadn't been to since the whole thing began. He waited on the edge of a building for Ladybug, who arrived only minutes later.

"You excited, M'lady?" He asked with a grin, and she smiled happily.

"Yes!" She squealed before pausing, clearing her throat. "I mean- Yes. I am." He smiled. He could handle it, if it made her happy.

"Then let's go." He said. They approached the house together, entering the large home. The first thing he noticed, was that everything looked the same, but felt even more empty than it should've, with a hint of depression in the air. He could actually smell the difference. Natalie and his driver were less lively than they had been when he was around. It was such a big impact that Adrien wondered if his father had changed as well.

Gabriel entered shortly after he thought that and Adrien's eyes narrowed ever so slightly. He could already tell that his father had not taken his request into consideration, as he was still all business even when it came to the fact of his missing son. He glanced at Ladybug. As long as he was with her, he wouldn't blow up. It was time to face the music.

"Ladybug, Cat Noir, I am aware that you the best Paris has to offer, though I wish I didn't have to bother you."

"Mr. Agreste, this is no bother for us." Ladybug replied. "It is a pleasure for us to help you find your son."

"I see." Gabriel cleared his throat. "Follow me." They walked up the stairs and to the left- Cat Noir knew where they were going- his room.

"Wow..." he muttered in an imitation of awe. His room was in the exact same condition in which he left it.

"We know that Adrien has not left Paris- he is probably doing his best to stay under the radar, he even left his phone here." He gestured to the bed, where his device still lay. Then he gestured to the walls, where his clippings of Ladybug were still on the wall. "Ladybug, he respects you, and I believe that you and Cat Noir can find him and convince him to come back."

'Not likely.' Adrien thought. 'You haven't changed your mind. At all.'

"Mr. Agreste, what if we can't convince him to come home?" Ladybug asked.

"Then..." He sighed. "You can bring him back by force." Cat Noir stopped himself from growling out 'over my dead body'.

"Cat Noir, what do you think?" Ladybug asked, turning to look at her partner. "Do you have any questions?"

"Why did he run away?" He had asked it before he could stop himself. At least he didn't say something else.

"As most teens do, he felt that I was being unfair with him." Gabriel replied.

"That doesn't sound like a good reason for him to run away." Ladybug muttered. "Surely there is more. Can we see the note that he wrote?" Ladybug asked.

"Of course." Gabriel walked over to Adrien's desk and handed Ladybug the letter, but Cat Noir could smell something... off. Ladybug read the note and handed it to Cat Noir, who brought it up to his face to read.

Father, I have been patient with you, but this is the last straw. I am running away. -Adrien.

Cat Noir's eyes narrowed, he didn't write this. But he couldn't say it out loud without revealing who he was. He sniffed it once, twice. Peppermint. It smelled like peppermint. It smelled like his father. He could use that.

"Adrien didn't write this." Cat Noir spoke. "It doesn't smell like him." Cat Noir lifted the letter away from his nose, handing it back to his father, who raised an eyebrow.

"And tell me, what does my son smell like?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. For show, Cat Noir sniffed the air.

"He... smells of cheese, and strawberries." He noted. He could actually smell the difference, spending the month with Marinette had changed the way he smelled, just a little bit, which allowed him to differentiate the smell of his room. "That smells of Peppermint." The other two people in the room stared at him with wide eyes, and he blinked. "What?"

"Could you... find him, using your nose?" Gabriel asked.

"Maybe." Cat Noir shrugged. "But I'd need the thing that he with touched last or used the most." This was not going to bode well. "I've never really tracked anything before, so I doubt that I'm good..." He really did not want to. Doing so would be very bad indeed. Curse his bad luck. He should've come up with an excuse not to come. He was so dead.

"I'd rather not stress my partner out with the sole responsibility of finding Adrien. That'll be our last resort." Cat Noir almost sighed in immense relief, in fact, he might've let out a small one. He thanked Ladybug with all his might. Gabriel looked a little crestfallen.

"That's alright. As long as my son is found."

"But I'd still like to read the note that Adrien left." Ladybug replied, and Gabriel scowled even more, if that was possible. He sighed, pulling out a walkie talkie.

"Natalie, please bring his letter up to Adrien's room." He spoke into it. A few seconds later Natalie walked in, presenting a private box, which he opened using a key from around his neck. The letter was pulled out gently, and then handed to Ladybug with immense hesitation. She opened it carefully, Cat Noir deciding to read from over her shoulder. Yup, that was his letter, and he nodded in confirmation after a sniff when Ladybug looked at him from the corner of his eye. She took out her yoyo and took a picture of it. He knew she'd send it to him later. She handed the letter back to Mr. Agreste, who put it in his box.

"When we find him, we will do our best to convince him to come back." Ladybug promised, though she seemed more... reserved than she normally would be after reading the letter. Odd.

"Thank you, for helping me." He said stiffly. "Natalie will show you out." The woman nodded, leading them away. However, before they left, she stopped them.

"Ladybug, Cat Noir..." She hesitated before continuing. "I have sworn my allegiance to Gabriel Agreste, but I must request... if you do not sway Adrien's desires, please, keep him safe. Protect him and help him out when he needs it until he's eighteen. Then try to convince him to come back to talk to us. I read the letter, and Adrien is right, but it will take some time before Mr. Agreste is willing to change." Cat Noir was touched, he really was. "But don't tell Mr. Agreste about this, please."

"We promise." Cat Noir said with a grin, reaching out his hand for her to shake, and she did so. "We'll tell you privately if we find him."

"Thank you." She said with a soft smile before it turned back to her normal face, closing the door behind them.

"Poor Adrien..." He heard Ladybug mutter. "I had some idea of what his family life was like, but... it must've been a lot worse for him to feel like that."

'You have no idea.' Cat Noir thought. "We'll find him, Bugaboo. And thank you, for standing up for me earlier."

"It's no problem, chaton." Ladybug replied. "I'll see you tomorrow night, okay?"

"Alright." He nodded, and she took off. He stared for a moment, before turning around to look at the place he once called home. It wasn't home anymore, however. It was only a house to him. That was all it ever seemed to be.

He activated his staff and launched himself across the city, to the Dupain-Chang bakery. To Marinette.

His home was with her now.

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	4. Chapter 4

Shandy: We're sorry guys. Not only did we not respond last chapter-

Candy: But we're totally giving you a way mean cliffie this chapter.

Shandy: Anyhow- reviews!

 **Dragon Lord Draco: XD Nice pun there, and I'm glad that the fic is five stars in your mind!**

 **Lokilust (Guest): Well, so many people go through lots of detail during that part, so I did a summary of it last chapter instead.**

 **fairydaisypou: Yes, yes it is.**

 **Guest: WOW that is one long review! I've never gotten a review this long before! She probably did, but didn't want to ask seeing as it would reveal who she was. And yeah, that is true. They're pretty good friends at this point, seeing as he's spending most of his time with her to avoid the police as Adrien. And I agree with you on all of those points. Marinette, I fifnd, is a lot like me (besides being** **stalkerish** **in her crush), espesially when it comes to friends and trying to help them. And Nathalie is a lot like my mom, so those qualities kinda just got thrown in. XD**

 **Utruk Doomhammer: Here is more for you!**

 **meggiebd: Yes. Poor, Poor cinnamon roll Adrien. Especially after this chapter. (Shhhhh!)**

 **zaynel: Things will get better... eventually... for this fic anyway. Who knows about what it'll be like in season two. *shrugs***

Shandy: And a bit of warning- we might've borrowed an akuma idea in this chapter because we loved it so much. We don't own the name of the akuma, or what the akuma can do, but I'm pretty sure the looks are different.

Candy: And on that note, we still haven't done a disclaimer on this story. WE DONT OWN MIRACULOUS OR THE CHARACTERS, JUST THE STORY!

Shandy: Onto the story!

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When he landed on the roof of Marinette's bakery, she was waiting outside for him with a small smile.

"How'd it go?" She asked.

"Alright, I guess." He replied, sitting on the railing beside her. "It's kinda hard not to snap in front of a man who had led his son to run away from him."

"Really?" She asked. "He led Adrien to his choice to run away?"

"Sorta." He pulled out his staff and showed her a picture of the letter, and she read it out loud.

"Dear father, I understand that the loss of your wife, my mother, has been a hard one, but I can no longer live this way. You keep me as close to you as you can, and though I am grateful, I also hate it. You know this as well as I do, but I am tired of all of the Photoshoots, the modeling, and the dull parties. I can't have any friends over and for the longest time, I couldn't even be like a normal teen and go to school."

"But I also understand that you do all of this because I look like my mother. She studied Chinese and fencing, so you had me study them. She was a model and wanted me to be a model as well, so I was. You kept me cooped up in that house because you are afraid of losing me as you did mom. But all you see when you look at me is my mother. You don't see your son, you don't listen to my dreams and my fears. I'm done with it."

"I won't come back until you prove to me that you can be a better dad- that you can see past my mother's looks and see your son. And believe me, I'll know when that happens. Your son, Adrien Agreste." She gave Cat Noir his staff back, soaking up what the letter said.

"That's... so sad..." She looked up at him with her large, sky blue eyes as he nodded.

"Yeah." Was all he said, softly. The waited there in silence, for what seemed like forever before Marinette spoke again.

"What will you do if you find him?" She asked.

"Definitely not bring him to his father." Cat replied. "I think that Mr. Agreste needs to see what his son is talking about. If I find him, I'll wait for him to want to go back instead of forcing him."

"Then I'll do that as well." She said with a nod. When he looked over at her in surprise, she giggled. "I agree, Cat Noir. If you do find him, you can bring him here and we can help him together, though I don't think he can sleep over like you do, I don't want my family framed for kidnapping." Once more, Cat Noir was found speechless by her selflessness and willingness to help others. Then a smile began to form on his lips, and he nodded. Marinette turned, walking over to the trap door.

"Come on inside, kitty. I'll try to get some food for you without Papa or Maman getting suspicious." He laughed, moving to follow her.

If only she knew.

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He was so unlucky.

Some people might believe that he had been living the dream earlier as a model, probably one of the richest people in Paris, and part time superhero, what could be better?

Being a superhero was the only fun part. And his bad luck even cursed him when he was a superhero- as of now he didn't feel that well. Everything felt hot.

Marinette truly was the lucky one, living with a happy family that supported her, protected and loved, even though she was terribly clumsy.

He pushed his thoughts to the back of his mind as he ran across the rooftops, leading a pack of dogs away from the fight.

Chloe was once again the cause of this Akuma, the first one in a month and three weeks. She had made fun of dogs in front of a young man who adored dogs as she held a cat. She had even teased a poor, starving dog he was trying to help save with a hot dog she had been eating. He sighed as he tumbled. Why did Chloe have to be like that?

He glanced over his shoulder. These dogs were bigger and stronger, the weaker dogs having stayed with the man that had been called K-9, who was protecting them until they could become strong enough to fight.

Where was Ladybug?

She must've had a hard time finding a safe place to transform, or so he hoped, flipping down onto the street and leading the dogs toward a park, where he hoped the squirrels kept the busy.

One snapped at his heel and he ran faster. He had to focus despite the fact that he felt like his head was going to split. A red yoyo flashed in his vision before it wrapped around him and pulled him away from the danger and onto a different set of rooftops. He landed on his feet, smiling as he looked into his lady's sky blue eyes. They looked so much like Marinette's.

She would be at school. He faintly wondered if Alya had dragged Nino along to help her film this attack and Ladybug.

"Thank you, my lady." He said with a smirk. "I would've been kitty chow!"

"You were toying with them." She stated flatly. Dramatically, Cat Noir placed a hand over his heart.

"Me-owch! My lady, you wound me!" She giggled and rolled her eyes, twirling her yoyo around and launching it at a chimney.

"Any idea where the Akuma is?"

"Dog tag around his neck." He replied simply, following as Ladybug swung from rooftop to rooftop.

"Alright, let's get this over and done with." She said, and Cat Noir couldn't help but stare. Her movements, so sure and fluid, and her face lit up in excitement with the adrenaline rush. He loved her, whoever she was.

Then he looked away, face drawn in thought. He loved Ladybug, but recently, he found himself being drawn to Marinette as well. She was so kind and thoughtful, despite her shy and timid nature. He was almost seventy percent sure that Marinette and Ladybug were actually the same person, but he wouldn't pry. He respected both of them.

They saw K-9 not that long after, giving the dogs all they needed to grow stronger. His brown hair had grown on his arms and legs, making him look like a werewolf.

"Eat, Eat, my pack!" He exclaimed as he threw food onto the street. "And then we shall travel all around, saving the mistreated animals until all those that have done wrong pay for their actions!" He laughed as the dogs barked in agreement.

"Sorry to intrude, but it would be catastrophic if we were to let you off your leash." Ladybug rolled her eyes as he said that, but he didn't care. His puns were the cat's meow.

"Cat Noir and Ladybug, I demand you give me your miraculouses!" K-9 shouted, and all the dogs barked in agreement. Cat Noir couldn't stop the hiss that left his mouth when the dogs turned to look at them. Or, most likely, him.

"What do we do, Ladybug?" He asked, biting his lip when he took a small step back from the dogs that were slowly walking toward them, barking and growling.

"I don't know..." she muttered, looking around. "We need to distract all the dogs and get them away so that we don't have to worry about them..."

"Don't worry, M'lady." Cat Noir replied. "I'll take care of them." And he turned to start running, ignoring Ladybug's shout of 'Cat, wait!' They both knew that this would be the most effective way, but with this many dogs, there was no way he could ditch them at the park. He'd have to do better than that. He looked around the best he could as he ran- something that would keep them busy or locked up would be best.

Then he saw it- a big ball. He picked it up, hopping behind a sign as he threw the ball into the street. The dogs were distracted easily, and for the few that weren't, he used his powers on the support beams for an advertisement sign, blocking the road. When he came upon the battle, K-9 had cornered Ladybug. Adrien's eyes narrowed in anger, his movements going faster and more fluid before he launched himself onto Alpha's back, forcing the werewolf-looking man to roll and fight with him on the ground while Ladybug recovered. Suddenly, K-9 grabbed him by the neck and threw him across the street, into the side of a dumpster in an alley, a box falling over him from the impact.

It was at that moment that Ladybug broke the chain, releasing the Akuma and then purifying it afterwards. Then she rushed over to him.

"Cat! Are you okay?" She asked as she ran, and a small green glow came from under the box as Adrien groaned, Plagg materializing in front of him.

"I-I'm fine, M'lady." He forced out. In reality, his head was killing him, and his whole body ached. He hadn't slept that well last night- maybe if he had he wouldn't be in this situation. And throughout the day, everything felt like it was only getting hotter and hotter. The heat made his vision swirl in front of him and he groaned again.

"Cat?" She asked worriedly. "Where are you?"

"Don't..." he muttered, closing his eyes as he shifted. "Come..." He winced when he felt the box move off of him, and he looked up to stare at his partner, who was looking down at him in shock, eyes wide.

"A...Adrien?" She asked in a whisper. Suddenly aware of everything, Adrien did his best to stand up- to look presentable- only to trip on a banana peel that had fallen out of the dumpster behind him. Ladybug caught him, and his vision began to go dark.

"My... Lady..."

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	5. Chapter 5

Shandy: Alright, just a few more chapters and this fic is finished.

Candy: That's kinda sad. This was one of our first ones to write for Miraculous.

Shandy: Yeah.

Candy: Well, reviews!

 **zaynel: Yes, that is true.**

 **Guest(1) He was not. Poor Chat.**

 **pinksakura271: She will, don't worry. And yes, he disgusts me too, but by the end of this fic he will be better... Hopefully...**

 **Dragon Lord Draco: Nah, it's not. He just got sick. I assure you he's been getting plenty of sleep.**

 **Guest(2): Yes, I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

Candy: On with the story!

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Cold... something cold was pressed against his forehead, and it was wet... but it felt good.

"When do you think he'll wake up?" The voice spoke, but he didn't recognize it.

"The kid'll be alright." The familiar voice of his Kwami broke in, probably eating some cheese. "He's been through worse."

"I hope he is." Another voice broke through, louder than the first two. "I need to know if anything hurts..." Was that... Marinette? But... he wasn't transformed. He opened his eyes a little, turning his head to look at the largest figure there as his eyes re-focused.

"Mari?"

"Adrien!" She replied, a slight blush dusting her gaze. "Y-You had a fever- are you okay? You were thrown so hard you made a dent in that dumpster... does anything hurt?" By the time she had finished speaking, his eyes had focused, taking in her dark blue hair and sky blue eyes full of worry. The ceiling he also recognized- or more so the sky lift. He was in her room.

"No..." He muttered, moving to sit up, only to wince as pain seemed to shoot up his side, and she pushed him back down.

"Hold on, I-I'll get the pillows." He watched as she left, going to reach something as Plagg flew into his line of sight.

"Kid, I don't know how someone can get so lucky when all of the rest of their luck is bad." He stated plainly, a piece of Camembert cheese in his paws, a bite already taken out of it.

"I don't know either... what happened?" He asked, blinking a few times.

"I think that's best left for Marinette to explain- I was half unconscious with exhaustion and hunger!" Adrien rolled his eyes, knowing that the Kwami had probably stretched the truth a little, but Adrien couldn't blame him. Dogs weren't his favorite.

It was then that the bluenette came back with a bunch of pillows in tow, piling them up against the wall and then helping Adrien to lean on them. Now he was sitting up with minimal pain.

"Thank you, Marinette... what happened?"

"Well, you had a fever before you collided with the dumpster, so it's kinda a good thing that you passed out and got some sleep." She stated. "I- uh- Ladybug brought you here, and you've been out of it for most of the day. It's ten forty four at night." She pointed to her alarm clock. "You should rest for a while- good thing it's the weekend. It'll be easier to take care of you."

"Ah..." He paused. "Well... I'll need to get used to you knowing that I'm... well, me." Marinette blushed and nodded, looking away.

"But that's ok." She said, looking back at him with a bright smile. "Here, let me get you some soup, and your Kwami some more Camembert." She giggled when the Kwami cried for joy, exclaiming a thank you. Then she got up and walked away, leaving Adrien with a request dying in his mouth. He had wanted to talk to her about her... crush on him (it was clear to him now that it was more than that), but maybe it was best for her to be the one to bring it up, on her own terms. Yeah, that would be the best course of action.

When Marinette came back up with a bowl of soup and some more Camembert, she was on the phone.

"I'm sorry that you couldn't get the footage, Alya." She said. "I'm sure that you'll do better next time..." She handed the bowl to him with a smile and placed the cheese on her desk for Plagg before replying to Alya's words. "Really? You didn't even see them do the fist bump?"

"It's weird girl. Alpha sent Cat Noir flying into a dumpster- I saw the end of that action. Then Ladybug took it from there. That's the only clear part I was able to get. Then she rushed over to where Cat was supposed to be- but I couldn't see him because of all of the boxes around there and Ladybug. Then she took Cat Noir- who wasn't in his superhero uniform anymore- and swung away! All I was able to get was that he was wearing a blue scarf, a black jacket, and some jeans."

"Really?" Marinette asked in fake shock. "Do you think he was hurt?"

"Definitely. The thing is that Ladybug said something to him before picking him up, but it's so quiet I can't hear what it was!"

"O-Oh?" She asked, paling a little. Adrien's eyes widened and he coughed loudly on accident. He could still hear pretty well as Adrien.

"Girl, are you okay?" Alya asked. Marinette faked a cough.

"Oh, I-I'm fine." She lied, fake coughing once more. "But I think I might've come down with something. D-Don't come over to check on me- bye!" And she hung up. A sigh of relief passed through her lips before she sent a worried look to Adrien. "Was there something wrong with the soup?"

"No!" He said. "This soup's delicious! It's just that, ever since I became Cat Noir, my hearing has improved in both aspects of my life." Then he groaned. "If Alya finds out what Ladybug said I'm a goner, because she said my name."

"I figured." Marinette said with a laugh. "Though it makes more than enough sense for you to be Adrien now that I think about it."

"Really?" He asked.

"Mhm!" She said happily, sitting down in her computer chair. "I figured that Cat Noir had to be someone well known because he looked a lot less like anyone I've ever seen, which meant that he needed more than a mask and a new outfit to hide his identity." Adrien blinked.

"You got all of that from observing my suit?" He asked.

"Yeah." She blushed. "After all, Ladybug doesn't look that much different from who she really is because she isn't really noticeable and doesn't stand out of the crowd. People would have to really look to find out who she is." Marinette giggled.

"So... do you know who she is?" Adrien asked.

"Y-Yeah... b-but I've been sworn to secrecy!" She said before he could ask who she was. Adrien pouted.

"Aww..." Marinette giggled.

"Alright- finish your soup and get some more rest- I'm gonna go and check on those cookies." He watched her leave and then focused back on his soup as Plagg flew over.

"Kid... I don't understand you."

"Hmm?"

"It's so obvious." Plagg continued. "I knew who she was the second she realized you were you." Then he shook his head. "But I'll let you figure it out." Then he crawled into a small black bed that Marinette had probably made for him. "Night Adrien."

"Good night Plagg." Adrien replied, before finishing his soup, and setting it aside. He suddenly felt... tired. Marinette had probably put the medication in the soup- his mother had used to do that when he was younger, before she left.

Sleepily, he closed his eyes, muttering a 'good night Marinette', even though she wasn't there at the moment.

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Adrien knew the good luck that had saved him would go bad quickly. It never seemed to be able to stay unless he was around his Lady, or even Marinette, but this time it was so bad it out weighed Marinette's good luck.

It had actually started when Marinette rushed up the stairs a day later in a panic, her hair still wet from her shower that morning. Adrien was eating some eggs that Marinette had smuggled into her room earlier.

"Hide!" She hissed. "Alya and Nino came over!" Adrien almost dropped his plate of eggs, carefully placing them on her desk before rushing into the blanket fort that Marinette had slept in the night prior. But this wouldn't do. He whispered a 'Plagg, claws out." When he tucked himself in under the blankets, a soft green glow the only thing showing he had transformed before Alya and Nino came bounding up the stairs. Adrien, as Cat Noir, closed his eyes, feigning sleep.

"Alright girl, what are you hiding?" He heard Alya ask. "You claimed to be sick yesterday, and we come over to check on you, and you're acting like you're you and not a sick counterpart. Something's gotta be amiss."

"N-Noth-thing." Marinette stuttered, Adrien could envision a wide smile on her face that wasn't convincing Alya at all.

"Whatever it is we'll find it." Nino replied. Footsteps went all around the room, objects being moved around in their search. Cat Noir snuck a peek through the blankets around him only to see Marinette sitting in a chair in front of him, pretending to be stitching of a tear in one of the blankets that made the fort.

'Good thinking.' He thought, slowly moving back into his original position and closing his eyes.

"Mari, what are you doing over there?" Alya asked suddenly. Cat swore in his mind, pleading against his bad luck that they wouldn't investigate.

"O-Oh, Manon and I built this fort last time and I promised her that I'd make it the best of the best for the next time I babysat her. I-I'm fixing up an old blanket of mine to add to it." Please believe it, please believe it, please believe it-

"Then you wouldn't mind us looking inside?" Alya asked. Adrien shifted until the only thing you could see were his black cat ears that were pinned on his head and the outline of his body. Crap. Crap. Crap.

"O-Of course I-I mind!" Marinette said unconvincingly. "If you walk in there the whole fort could collapse!"

"Too bad, Marinette. I'm going in." Alya replied. He could hear the swish of fabric as Alya moved it to come in. He knew that she could see them. "Mari, I didn't know you owned a cat."

"Alya, don't-" too late, she had reached for his cat ears- which were strangely sensitive on his head- and when they were touched he yelped, sitting up straight and shooting back. The whole blanket fort collapsed around the both of them. Curse his bad luck. Maybe if Ladybug was here her luck would out-weigh his bad luck and this wouldn't have happened.

"Marinette..." Alya seemed to try to be polite despite the fact that she wanted to yell. "Do you mind telling me why Cat Noir is in your house?"

"I-I-"

"It's my fault, really." Cat Noir shook the blankets off of his head, giving Marinette a knowing look that glowed 'I got this.'

"Oh?" Nino asked.

"Yeah, remember yesterday's Akuma attack?" The two of them nodded. "Well, I was unconscious and running a fever afterwards, and My Lady needed a kind, caring, and trustworthy person to help me get befur because I couldn't go back to my home or her house. She remembered how Marinette was so willing to help both of us during the Evillustrator incident and brought mew here. Marinette has been nothing but a kind host, and though I'd love to stay, I don't want the purress to swarm you, Princess." He smirked with a wink at Marinette and stood up, walking to the sky lift. "I'll let Mari answer any other questions-"

"Oh, no you don't!" Marinette said sternly, grabbing his tail as he moved to jump, him proceeding to almost land on the floor in a very un-cat like manner- and all of that with a blush on her determined face. He was proud that she had stopped her stuttering around him. "I promised Ladybug that I wouldn't let you leave until your fever was down, and not even an hour ago it was 115 degrees Fahrenheit." Cat Noir pouted when she let go of his tail, absentmindedly grabbing it and rubbing it with his hands, as though to soothe the pain that wasn't there. (Who else has seen him do this?)

"Oh. My. Gosh~!" Alya squealed. "I have so many questions for both of you." She pulled out her notepad and grabbed one of Marinette's free pencils as Nino smiled and shook his head at his girlfriend's antics.

Adrien knew he'd owe Plagg so much cheese after this.

"Alright- what is Cat's secret identity?" She asked first.

"Nope."

"Sworn to secrecy." Marinette replied sternly.

"Alright then- Cat, how did you get your powers?"

"Just for the record, none of this is gonna go on the LadyBlog, right?" He asked.

"I promise." Alya nodded, determined.

"Ok, well I won't say where I got them from exactly, but you could say someone gave me something that allows me to become... well, me." He chuckled.

"All right... Cat Noir, how old are you?"

"Sixteen." He replied smoothly.

"Marinette, do you know Ladybug's identity?" Marinette gulped.

"Yes... but I've been sworn to secrecy with her as well." Alya nodded.

"Alright, does Cat have cat like qualities?" Cat paled.

"No I don't." He looked away when Marinette raised an eyebrow at him.

"What are you talking about? Of course you do."

"No, I-" The words got stuck in his throats when Marinette reached her hand up to scratch him behind his ears, a purring sound escaping him no matter how hard he tried to keep it in. His cheeks flushed, keeping his face pointedly away from his three friends. He could hear Nino's smothered snickers and Alya's fangirlish squeal.

"Anything else?"

"Of course-"

"Not." Cat interrupted, giving Marinette a flat stare, his fake cat ears somehow flattening against his head as though there were real. He was already embarrassed enough, but as his bad luck would have it, she pulled out a laser pointer. His eyes immediately zeroed in on the red dot on the floor, ignoring everything else for a moment as he fought back the very strong urge to pounce on the red dot. He turned his head away from it in an attempt to ignore it, but he kept it visible in the corner of his vision, as though it could attack at any moment.

His body unconsciously shook with his attempt to restrain his instincts and save any pride he had left as Cat Noir, and Nino burst into laughter.

"Oh, this is too good." Alya muttered in between giggles. "Alright, you can turn it off Mari." Marinette did so and he was trying to piece back together his shattered pride. Though, it had never been shattered when it was just him and Marinette...

"So..." Alya paused, thinking of what to ask next. "Do you have any leads on where Adrien might be?"

"Uhh..." Crap.

"Because Cat's sick, Ladybug has been looking around by herself for him." Marinette explained. "I haven't heard anything yet though. Adrien really must not want to be found." Alya's sighed and Nino seemed to be depressed all of a sudden. Marinette bit her lip, and he understood why.

He also wanted to tell them that he was right there, but that would compromise everything.

"That's okay." Nino said after a moment, placing his hand on Alya's shoulders.

"Yeah. I only hope that he's safe." Marinette said, trying to hide a knowing smile.

"Well, we'll leave you be for now." Alya stood up. "I'll confront Marinette with any other questions that I have."

"Alright, I'll see you later." Marinette waved them away, and the second they were done Cat Noir sighed in relief, letting the costume drop as Plagg reappeared with a scowl.

"You-"

"I know, I know." Adrien sighed. "I owe you so much Camembert."

"No." Plagg sated, surprising him. "I was going to say how purely lucky you got for that close call for having the luck of a black cat."

"What?" He asked. "You're not going to talk about how much you love cheese and how much Camembert I owe you after fighting Akumas?" Plagg groaned and Marinette giggled.

"Don't worry, I'll get him some. Lucky you it's my papa's favorite." Adrien smiled thankfully and Plagg did a flip in the air in joy.

"Thank you!" He said happily as Marinette turned to go downstairs. When she left Adrien groaned again, hiding his face in his hands.

"That was soo embarrassing." His voice was muffled as he said it.

"Man, if that's how you react to that, I'm glad you were unconscious when Marinette was tending to your fever." Plagg remarked.

"What?"

"Yeah, you kept on nuzzling her hand and purring whenever she went to change your cloth."

"Oh my gosh... so those aspects of being Cat Noir do affect my normal life." He lay down on the floor. Then he blinked. "Wait... why doesn't my body hurt?" He sat up and looked down at himself. He only felt sore, like he usually did when he finished with fencing.

"Oh... uh, Marinette asked me to keep it a secret." Plagg answered plainly. "You'll have to figure that out too." In reality, Marinette had left Adrien in Plagg and Tikki's care while she went to Master Fu for some herbs to help, since Tikki had told her that the chosen getting sick was a LOT more deadly than normal people getting sick. Especially within the first year of them getting their powers. Their Immune systems were still getting used to their powers. After the first year, it would be way less deadly. It would be considered a major improvement.

Somehow, it also took care of whatever hurt in his body, though Marinette had told Plagg and Tikki that she had only asked about the fever.

Adrien sighed, aware that he was going to get that answer a lot more now that more secrets were out in the open.

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	6. Chapter 6

Shandy: We apologize for the short chapter today-

Candy: But we wanted to contain most of the angst in the next chapter.

Shandy: And after that it's an epilouge!

Candy: So onto the reviews!

 **Shiori kudo: Thanks for pointing that out! I had absolutely no idea.**

 **Guest: Again?! What is up with guest reviewers and long reviews! And you'll find out why she hasn't told him yet next chapter. Along with all of the angst and love confession.**

 **Dragon Lord Draco: *holds out popcorn bag* Want some?**

 **pinksakura271: Oh, Plagg won't be the one to reveal. *smirks***

 **Evander1435: I'm glad you think so!**

Shandy: Alright, on with the chapter!

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He hadn't seen Ladybug in what felt like forever.

Marinette told him that Ladybug was handling the press and anyone trying to find him who were getting close to uncovering where he was, whether it was as Cat Noir or Adrien. He felt bad for not being able to see his lady, but Marinette had explained that getting sick was the worst possible thing for them, or so Ladybug had said.p

Marinette took the thermometer out of his mouth and read the temperature.

"98 degrees Fahrenheit..." She read. "Well, it's not ideal, but you could say that it's alright."

"Really?" He asked, excited. Marinette nodded with a smile and he cheered quietly, so as to not arouse suspicion. "Yes!"

"Hold on, kitty." She giggled, and Adrien smiled at her. She had warmed up to him so much as Adrien and Cat Noir. He was so happy! "I have something for you."

But it was still with a hint of awkwardness that they hadn't talked about Marinette's love for him. Adrien still wanted Marinette to bring it up herself. She walked away and came back with a winter hat that looked familiar, very much like the scarf that his father had given him. Almost exactly like it. Only the shape seemed to be different.

"This should help." She continued, handing it to him. "You can wear it as both Adrien and Cat Noir- I fashioned it so that it would fit your cat ears." She demonstrated by sticking her hand in, and some fabric stuck through to form cat ears. "And I also made it to match the scarf I- you got from your father." Adrien turned it around in his hands. It was made out of the same fabric and used the same stitching.

"Thank you, Marinette. This is amazing." He took out his scarf and put the scarf and the hat on together. It seemed to hug his head and keep him warm. Then he hugged her in excitement and turned to Plagg. "Alright- Plagg- Claws out!"

"No- wait- my Camembert!" Plagg whined as he was sucked into the ring. With a flash of green he was Cat Noir. He climbed onto the roof and checked around- it was late at night, so not very many people were out and about.

"I'll be back soon, Princess." He said with a smile as she waved goodbye to him.

"I'll be waiting, silly kitty." She replied with a smile. Then he took off into the night. It felt... amazing. The adrenaline rush that he got from the cold wind air brushing past him and the normal sounds of Paris seeming to cheer him onward. He ran all the way to the Eiffel Tower, where he used his staff to lift himself all the way up to the top of the famous structure, just standing there as he surveyed Paris.

He was so glad he was back in action.

Ladybug joined him shortly after that, smiling as well.

"Glad you're feeling better, Chaton." She said.

"I am too, My Lady." He said with a smirk. "And how has my bugaboo been?" She gave him a flat stare.

"First of all, don't call me that." She said blatantly. "And second, fairly well." It was silent as they stood there, watching the horizon with a sense of calm.

"Thank you." He said suddenly. "For taking care of the press for both of my identities."

"No problem." She replied. "You're my friend, in and out of the mask." Then she blinked, gasping in shock as one of her red, black spotted hands came up to her mouth. Adrien simply stared.

"So... you know me in our normal lives?" He asked. Ladybug paused for a moment before sighing.

"Yes. I do."

"That's amazing!" He exclaimed.

"No, it's not." She said softly. "I don't want you knowing who I am."

"Why, My Lady?" He asked softly. She never really had given him a reason to before because all she said was 'It's dangerous.' But now that she knew who he was... maybe he'd finally know why. And she told him.

"Because I'm not who you think I am." She replied. "Under the mask, I'm a wreck. I'm a normal girl with a semi-normal life." She sighed. "As a civilian, I'm invisible to everyone except my closest friends, and there's only two people that close to me, and they don't even suspect anything."

"And who would these two people be?" He asked.

"Well, I can't tell you her name because that would be a dead giveaway." She smiled at him. "But you could say that you're pretty close to me."

"As Adrien or Cat Noir?" He couldn't stop himself from asking, and she giggled.

"As both, silly Chaton." She took out her yoyo and swung it around. "I best head back now- I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Sure thing, My Lady." He replied before she swung away. He sighed dreamily when he stared after her disappearing figure, his tail unconsciously forming a heart behind him. He could perfectly imagine Plagg's groan of annoyance in his head. Basically screaming (at a very Plagg like volume that wouldn't ever be considered a scream and more like an annoyed suggestion very loudly) at him to 'Just kiss her already if you like her'.

He shook his head, staying there for a moment to enjoy the scenery. A peaceful breeze brushed past, soothing him.

He was close friends with Ladybug's civilian self, as both Adrien and Cat Noir. But who would that be? He stopped pondering and shook his head. She didn't want to know, so he wouldn't pry.

And then he turned and hurried back to Marinette's house, probably to sleep over for the last time before he began to live in the streets again.

And he would enjoy every last bit of it.

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	7. Chapter 7

Shandy: Second to last chapter!

Candy: Technically last, but we got an epilogue.

Shandy: It's still the second to last chapter.

Candy: Reviews!

 **Dragon Lord Draco: *gapes in amazement* *shakes head* Couldn't do that even if I tried. Suit yourself. Also, in response to your review on Markings, you should check my bio. Answers are on there.**

 **Guest: HOLY CRAP THAT TOOK UP MY WHOLE COMPUTER SCREEN! Also, Adrien never saw the posters. She kept those hidden after Chat started visiting regularly- he found out by accidentally waking up her computer screen. This chapter, you're gonna get a lot of answers to your opinions. I hope that satisfies you.**

 **pinksakura271: It's happened- the chapter where the truth comes out is here! Hope you like it. :3**

 **zaynel: A very cute sunshine-filled cinnamon roll of an idiot. XD Yup! Nothing new!**

Shandy: Well, enjoy the chapter!

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Marinette sighed as she continued working on her project. Another month had passed and an Akuma that had appeared was stopped very quickly by herself and Cat Noir. A month since he slept over at her house, or even asked if he could. A month of worrying and pondering on her deepest thoughts. A month that was so, so very draining.

She was waiting for him to connect the dots, to one day appear on her balcony and say 'I can't believe it's you. I'm so disappointed. I never want to be seen with you again.' She knew it would happen- if he did think about her being Ladybug, she had no idea.

When she had first discovered he was Cat Noir, hope had blossomed in her chest about finally being able to confess, but...

She wasn't Ladybug, in hypothetical terms. She wasn't confident. She wasn't strong. She wasn't the amazing person everyone saw her as. And, unconsciously, she had developed the fear of people being disappointed that Marinette- the two-left-feet teenager who could hardly get a sentence out of her mouth- was this amazing superhero.

Then she remembered all of the times she had declined or stopped Chat- Adrien's advances on her as Ladybug. She rejected him every time. There was no way he could ever love her once she broke the illusion of how 'purrfect' Ladybug was.

She wished things could go back to normal between the two of them- she loved his company. But she didn't know how she could with her voice getting stuck in her throat every time she tried to tell him who she was. She had even almost told him one of her biggest secrets, besides being Ladybug, that she had kept from Adrien- that the scarf was not from his father, but her.

It was probably the biggest symbol of hope that he had that his father would change his mind about how he was raising his son. That Gabriel Agreste actually cared about his son enough to change.

Marinette felt the tears begin to swell up in her eyes, and she forced herself to breathe slowly, closing her eyes in an attempt to not shed tears.

"Marinette?"

She missed him. She knew that his father probably felt like the way she felt when he had left. She believed that Gabriel had numbed and frozen his heart, but that wall was slowly cracking because Adrien had left.

She wanted to interfere, to make the ice-melting faster, but knew that it wouldn't be the best. Especially since Adrien wanted his father to want to change before he came back. She also admitted to herself that she wanted to be selfish, to convince Adrien to never go back to his father ever again.

Chloe and her harsh words the past year flashed through her mind, speaking of how he would never want someone like her. Marinette sighed and shook her head in an attempt to dislodge the words from her head.

"Marinette?"

Marinette really did miss him. Her bedroom seemed even more empty than it had been. She had fixed up the blanket fort to be even better, for whenever he wished to stay the night. Whenever that would happen again. Probably never.

"Marinette!"

"Gah!" Marinette blinked, looking over to Tikki in shock before she sighed, a hand being placed over her heart. "Sorry Tikki. I got lost in thought. Did you need something?"

"Marinette..." Tikki sighed. "You need to tell him- before something bad happens."

"I know." She sighed. "But every time I try to I just freeze up and..." She could feel the tears coming back, though she tried to stop them. "I just can't seem to do it. For whatever reason, my voice gives up. And then all of these 'what if's come into my head, along with Chloe's words about how I'll never be useful and how he'd never want me, and, and..." The tears came and she tried to hide them by tucking her knees to her chest, placing her forehead on her knees and wrapping her arms around them. "And now he doesn't ever want to spend the night here or stay for too long, and if he ever finds out that I'm actually Ladybug he'll be disgusted and never want to be my partner or friend ever again, or he'll only love me because I'm Ladybug, but that's not me!"

Tikki watched quietly as her chosen ranted on about everything that she had been keeping bottled up. This had to have happened at some point, but before Tikki could speak to comfort her, Plagg was right beside her, watching Marinette wearily.

"Is it not the best time?" He asked. "Adrien sent me in to see if it was alright for him to come in because the window is locked."

"Actually..." Tikki looked up at the window he was talking about. "This would be the perfect time."

"Are you sure?" Plagg asked, staring at her lazily. "She's a mess right about now."

"She's gonna need someone besides me to blather on to, and at this point she'll just rant about the same thing over and over again, and she doesn't take into account who she's talking to." Plagg nodded and flew up to the escape to unlock it while Tikki flew over to Marinette.

"Let it all out, Marinette." Tikki replied. "Don't hold it in- just let it all out." And then she hid in the blanket fort as Adrien pooped down, turning around with a smile on his face, and froze.

"Marinette?" He asked softly.

"I-I'm sorry I'm such a coward, Tikki." Marinette replied in between sniffles. Deciding to ignore the 'Tikki' comment, he walked over to her and kneeled down on the floor in front of her.

"Mari, please, tell me what's wrong." He requested softly.

"I can't tell him anything. Whenever I do my throat closes and I'm such a coward!" She wailed. "No wonder he doesn't want to sleep over or stay for whole days anymore, I'm such a coward, I can't even tell him the two most important things! Chloe was right..."

Adrien froze, his mouth open in an attempt to speak, but nothing came out. She thought that that was why he no longer slept over?

"Marinette, that's-"

"You can't deny that I'm a coward, Tikki." She nearly whispered, cutting him off. "I still can't tell him that I love him, even though he already knows! And I know that he needs to know who I am, but he'll most likely hate me and never come back! And then there's the scarf- I don't wanna loose him!" Who she was? Tikki? The scarf? What was she talking about? He opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted when she laughed a little bit.

"I know that you're about to say some sort of inspirational speech, about how I'm still me in and out of the mask, about how he wouldn't and doesn't hate me, trying to give me the courage to tell him, but I know that I won't be able to." In and out of the mask? Did he hear what he thought he heard?

Suddenly, for Adrien, everything fell into place. How, during his stay here, Ladybug always seemed to come after he was there at the meeting place. Plagg's hints whenever he spoke about Marinette and Luck, and then whoever this 'Tikki' person was- that must be her Kwami. His assumptions were correct!

But he pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind, smiling as he stood on his knees, wrapping his arms around Marinette in a hug. She froze, aware that this was not Tikki.

"Oh Princess..." He sighed. "It doesn't matter what Chloe says- It's not true. You're not a coward, Mari. You're too brave to be one. You're the bravest girl I know!" He paused for a moment. "I... I'm sorry for leading you to believe that I no longer wanted to sleep over. I thought that staying would feel awkward, knowing that I know that you have a crush on me. I-I thought that you were disgusted that I was Cat Noir." Tears came to his own eyes. "But now I know that that's not the case. I'm sorry, Marinette."

"A...Adrien?" She asked, and he hugged her tighter.

"I'm sorry that I didn't see the signs before. And Tikki's right- you are you, with and without the mask- and, and I love both sides of you." He smiled. He had finally gotten it out. That confession that had been on the tip of his tongue ever since they had fought Stone Heart. "I love you, Marinette Dupain-Cheng!That fact can't be changed no matter how many times you turn it around." Marinette's cries became a little louder as she put her legs down, hugging him as well with a small smile on her face.

"I-I love you too, Adrien!" She happily exclaimed, hugging him tighter. They stayed like that for a few moments- any comments made by Plagg smothered when Tikki threatened to never let him eat Camembert at this house ever again.

"D-Do y-you want t-t-to spend the night?" Marinette asked, somehow getting the hiccups from her crying under control.

"I'd love to, Marinette." Adrien replied, kissing her cheek, a smile on his lips. "I'd love to."

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	8. Chapter 8

Shandy: Alas, the time has come... this is the last chapter for this story.

Candy: We'd just like to take a moment to thank all of you for supporting this story, and that you guys are all amazing!

Shandy: Anyway, reviews!

 **Guest: I'm just starting to get used to your long reviews, and this is the last chapter of the story. Well, Nathalie isn't going to do that, but you're about to find out, so just sit back and watch.**

 **Dragon Lord Draco: T.T The story is over... and in my vocab, adorableness is a word. I'm glad you liked it, and here *hands bags of jawbreakers* You'll want these.**

 **pinksakura271: XD Puns. And Marinette wants the best for Adrien, and in her eyes fixing a broken relationship between father and son would make both of them happier. Especially since she works for him now. ;)**

 **Ravenclaw13 (guest): *hands a box of tissues* I feel you. So bad. I loved writing this story so much... but It's my job to give these two adorable children a happy ending.**

 **Evander1435: Ah, yes, the best kind of angst.**

 **MsBlackOut: Here it is!**

Candy: Whelp, we hope you enjoy the last chapter of this story!

Shandy: And you're all _MIRACULOUS!_

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Ten Years Later

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"Hello?" Nathalie's voice spoke. Marinette was used to it now, as she now worked for Gabriel Agreste. She was especially excited, for today was her bring your family to work day. She had finally convinced him to come with her.

"Hello, Nathalie!" Marinette cheered, tuning out the noise of Adrien playing with their three year old in the back seat. "I finally got a certain someone to agree to come with me- we're as ready as we'll ever be." Nathalie's gasp of delight was heard and the gates opened.

"Come on in, I'll have Mr. Agreste come down right away." Marinette nodded and drove in, Parking.

"Mari-"

"You better not be having second thoughts, chaton." Marinette replied sternly. Adrien sighed.

"I'm not, but are you sure that-"

"Positive, honey."

"What if-"

"Alix is our lawyer, and one of the best might I add. It would be kidnapping and we could press charges without me getting fired- not to mention that I've already gone over this with you."

"But-"

"And he can't fire me just because I married you. It would be all over the news thanks to Alya. He doesn't want bad publicity."

"Princess-"

"Just get Emma out from her car seat." Adrien sighed, moving to remove their child from her car seat. She had Marinette's dark blue hair and his emerald green eyes, a stuffed cat with green eyes that she loved more than anything in her small hands. Despite agreeing with Marinette to finally come with her on bring your family to work day, Adrien fully intended on focusing on his daughter the whole day and no one else.

Talking to his father would be inevitable. He hoped that he wouldn't recognize his own son after so long, but he knew that that was false hope.

"Mrs. Dupain-Cheng." Gabriel spoke. "I'm pleased to hear that your husband decided to finally come."

"Yes, I am as well." Marinette spoke happily. "My husband often decides to work with my parents on this day, especially since both he and Emma love the sweets my parents bake." When Adrien got out of the car, he intentionally kept his back to them, playing with their daughter before hoisting her up and onto his shoulders. The little girl giggled happily.

"Come on honey, turn around- I'm sorry he's so shy." Marinette added, speaking to Gabriel. "He's very nervous to meet you."

"As most people are." Gabriel added.

"To mommy, papa! I wanna go to mommy!" Emma cheered from her perch. Adrien sighed, biting his lip as he turned around. He met his father's gaze head on, if only for a millisecond, before walking over to Marinette.

"So, Princess." He spoke nervously. "You said that your favorite part of working here was all of the inspiration, correct?" He asked. Marinette nodded. "Well, w-why don't you show me your favorite spot?" Dang it, why did he stutter? He wasn't supposed to stutter! That would be a dead giveaway besides his looks.

"Honey, aren't you being a little rude?" Marinette asked, elbowing Adrien in the side, and he winced. "You should introduce yourself to Gabriel." She smiled up at him as though she had no idea that her boss was his father, who he had ran away from over eight years ago.

"A-ah, right. Sorry." He turned to look at Gabriel Agreste, whose eyes were wide with surprise. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Agreste. I'm Adrien Dupain-Cheng, Marinette's husband." He held out his hand for the other to shake as Marinette took Emma from his shoulders, the three year old giggling happily as she played with her stuffed cat. The little girl was pretending to introduce the cat to her mother's growing belly.

"Adrien..." Gabriel muttered, seemingly lost in thought. Adrien sent a panicked look to Marinette, but she only smiled at him and motioned for him to go on.

"Y-Yes, that is my name." Adrien replied, cursing himself instantly. He needed to stop. Stuttering. Why couldn't he just stay at home and take Emma to the bakery for the day? Wouldn't that be so much easier?

Oh. Right, Marinette threatened to kick him to the couch for the next month. Emma was convinced that a monster lived in the couch with how bad he had pleaded with Marinette to give him a different punishment. The year before that he had been forced to de-transform while tied up on the highest point of the Eiffel Tower. The year before that year was Marinette tempting his cat-like qualities for the whole next week, leaving Alya and Nino having stitches in laughter (especially since Marinette and Adrien had told them that they were Ladybug and Cat Noir). And the year before that was the worst out of all of the punishments because of Marinette's mood swings that came with being pregnant with their first child. He dared not to mention anything about it to anyone, though it wasn't a secret that she was expecting another.

"And this little girl I-is your daughter?" He asked, wide eyes looking at Emma.

"Yes." Marinette said happily. "This is Emma." The three year old waved happily at her grandfather, completely unaware of the fact that they were related.

"And this is Kitty!" She said cutely, holding up her stuffed cat for him to see. Nathalie was trying her best to keep a straight face as she watched the whole thing. Adrien still had his hand up, waiting for Gabriel to shake it.

The other Agreste reached for the hand, grabbing it firmly and drawing in his son for a hug, in which Adrien froze, his eyes wide. When Gabriel pulled away, he looked up at Adrien and actually smiled.

"Welcome back." Adrien blinked a few times, shocked beyond words as Marinette giggled.

"Y-Yeah." He said. "Good to be back..."

"Come on in." Gabriel said, leading the way back inside. "We have much to discuss." Adrien, however, just stood there.

"Told you so~" Marinette sang, grabbing Adrien's hand and giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Now come on, you silly Kitty." Adrien blinked, smiling as he looked down at Marinette.

"You're always right, princess." He replied, following his wife into the mansion.

"Swing me please?" Emma asked, squirming in her mother's hold. Her father laughed as Marinette put their daughter down, grabbing her hand so that they could swing her. "Yay!"

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And a week after that, Master Fu received a note along with the Moth and Peacock Miraculous that read, "I no longer need these, joy has come back to my home. I apologize for any harm and stress that I have caused. -Hawkmoth."

The end.

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